Cold Shadows
by SpikeFan4Life95
Summary: What if Pitch found Jack when he was most vulnerable, and instead of merely making mischief they created something even worse? Can the Guardians stop the power of the cold and the dark, or will the world fall to the King of Nightmares and the Prince of Ice? ((AU Pitchxevil!Jack Blackice fic))
1. Chapter 1 - The Death of Jack

_((A/N: The usual disclaimers apply. The only thing that is mine is the writing and eventually the plot. Jack and Pitch were my favorites in the film, so I decided to write a fic with them. Enjoy~ and as always, reviews are appreciated :3))_

The night air was so chilled that the windows in Jack's room were frosted over again. He didn't mind. He liked the cold. It meant ice skating and snowball fights and sledding down hills and plenty of fun that could be had at no other time than winter. His fingers trailed across the window pane as he stared up at the moon that was distorted through the ice. It felt like the moon was trying to tell him something, but Jack merely shook his head. That thought was ridiculous. All the time spent playing in the snow with his sister must have frozen his brain or something. While he sat by his window unable to sleep, his sister was in the bed next to his and sleeping soundly. The peace wouldn't last though. Unbeknownst to Jack, a shadow was creeping into their room from under the door and floating across the wooden floorboards and towards his sister. The shadow halted next to her bed and slowly merged together into a form of a dark, looming man. A smirk lit up his face as he leaned over her and focused on seeing her dream. He saw a field where she was running and playing with adorable little animals. Pitch Black rolled his golden eyes. This dream would be easy enough to ruin. He reached out and placed a single finger upon the sweet dream. He watched on in amusement as his nightmare sand corrupted the good and turned her sweet dream into a beautiful nightmare. The little bunnies she was chasing around turned into ravenous wolves out for her flesh. Spittle flew from their mouths as they turned on the girl and raced after their prey. Her scream pierced the veil between the dream world and the real world and she sat bolt upright in bed clutching at her sheets. Pitch quickly dematerialized and drifted underneath her bed after he was certain she saw him first.

"Emma! Another nightmare?" Jack asked as he rushed towards her bed and ran soothing fingers through her hair. Despite all the pranks he tended to play on her and mischief he caused, when it came to taking care of his sister, he tried his very best to be a good brother. She nodded fearfully and pointed next to her bed.

"It was the Boogeyman again!" She cried. "W-will you check under my bed and make sure he's gone?" She asked with pleading eyes lifted towards him. Jackson smiled reassuringly at her and ruffled her hair.

"Yeah – I'll make sure, and if he's still there you can sleep in my bed and he'll leave you alone, okay?" She only nodded in answer and Jack took that as his sign to check. Fear gripped him even though he knew he shouldn't still believe in the Boogeyman. That's what his friends told him at least. He knew though. He'd caught glimpses of him, and whenever Emma told him to look under her bed, he could swear he saw shadows moving under it. With a gulp, he steeled himself for whatever he might find and lifted the blankets where they touched the floor and glanced under the bed. Nothing. Just as he was about to sigh in relief though, he caught a glimpse of the moving shadows again. Rather than bolting away in fear as he usually did – claiming to his sister he merely saw a spider – he swallowed the bile in his throat and squinted into the darkness. Was it really the Boogeyman under her bed? As he stared, two golden eyes blinked at him from the darkness and a mouth opened up in a toothy grin.

"_Hello, Jack_," he heard the creature greet in a rough whisper that sent a chill down his spine. He yelped and shot away from the bed, letting the blankets fall to the floor. He thought he even heard a deep chuckle come from under the bed. He shook all over and paled. His sister caught onto his body language and began to cry.

"Oh he's still there isn't he, Jack? Can we sleep with mum and pop?" She asked hopefully. Jack merely shook his head and grabbed hold of her hand.

"No it was just a –ah spider. Come on, you can get in bed with me," he told her and she followed after him and he tucked them in. "The Boogeyman can't reach you here," or so he hoped. His sister fell asleep almost immediately, but Jack laid there for quite some time. Who was this Boogeyman? How did he know his name? He was trying to stay awake in order to watch out for his sister, but his eyes soon grew heavy and after a futile attempt at fighting, they closed entirely and he was lost to the world.

He was ice-skating on the lake. That was his pleasant dream. It was rather warm for a winter day, but there he was, swirling and skidding across the lake as fast as his skates would take him. He laughed in delight, but soon a shadow fell across the lake and he glanced at it and fear started to well up in him. Suddenly, there was a loud cracking sound. He glanced at his feet. The ice was breaking beneath him – he was going to fall in! Jack barely had time to scream as he plunged into the freezing cold water.

"Ahh!" He yelled when he felt someone shaking him. It was the lake water jarring him left and right. Soon though, he came to his senses and realized somebody was calling his name. He opened his eyes blearily to discover his sister, fully dressed in outerwear, shaking him with eyes lit up in excitement. Morning light shone inside their room and Jack squinted against the light.

"Jack! C'mon! Get up! You're taking me ice-skating!" She exclaimed in glee and even clapped her hands together. "Mamma said we could, but you have to take me!" Jack's eyes widened in fright. His dream was far too fresh in his mind for him to want to go ice-skating so soon.

"I don't want to," he mumbled grumpily as he hopped out of bed and crossed the room to get dressed. He would just go find someone to play a prank on instead. It would distract him from the terrifying dream he'd had. _Stupid Boogeyman_ he thought angrily. He felt his sister tug on his arm and yank him away from his destination.

"Well you have to! Mum said!" She exclaimed and ran out of the room yelling for their mother. Jack grumbled in irritation, but began pulling out his winter clothes. When she ran crying to mother, she always got what she wanted. Jack would just have to push his sudden fear aside and take her skating anyways. It wouldn't take her long before she grew tired of it and would want to go do something else. When he opened his closet, he could have sworn he felt something cold and shadowy pass over his arms as he pulled out his warmer clothes and he shivered before slamming the door closed.

After getting dressed, he walked in on a scene he expected. His mother was waiting in the kitchen for him with her arms crossed. Jack sighed as his gaze drifted to his sister standing by the door with a pair of skates clasped in her hands and a victorious smile on her face. Before his mother could chastise him, he held his hands up in surrender. "I'm going, I'm going," he said in defeat and trudged to the door to pick up his skates. His mother followed after him and stopped him in order to ruffle his hair and kiss him atop the head.

"Thank you, dear. It means a lot to us that you take such care of your sister. She looks up to you," she told him and he managed a smile in return. He shouldn't be in a funk just from a bad dream. Jack opened the door and gestured for his sister to run out first. She darted out and he followed soon after, but he gathered up a handful of snow and threw it at her. The snowball hit her in the head and she squealed. Jack laughed and ran ahead towards the lake, occasionally pausing to lob snowballs at her and dodge the ones she threw back at him. A few of hers hit him, but it was a rare few. By the time they reached the lake, they were covered in snow and breathing a bit heavily from running the entire way.

"Jack! You got snow in my hair!" Emma complained as she brushed it from her hair. Jack merely laughed and sat on the bank of the lake and patted the spot next to him so he could help Emma with her skates. She sat next to him patiently as his nimble fingers quickly laced up her skates.

"How's that?" He asked as they got to their feet and she hobbled about clumsily.

"They're good. Hey Jack, I dare you to not wear your skates!" She challenged him because it would be funny to watch him scramble about like she was sure to. He accepted her challenge and soon the two of them were out on the lake making fools of themselves. It was all fun and games until the sun came out from behind the clouds and sent unnatural warmth through the air that made Jack tense up and fall hard on the ice. He gingerly got to his feet, but soon he heard a loud crack by his sister. His head whipped up when she cried out his name in a terrified voice. Jack glanced down at the ice and his heart leapt into his throat. It was like his nightmare – only worse. Tears were streaming down her face, and Jack had to act fast.

The next few moments were a blur, one second Emma was standing on breaking ice, the next she was safe and Jack was filled to the brim with relief, and then the ice gave way beneath him and he fell in the freezing water. The last thing he heard was Emma yelling his name.

Pitch watched the scene from a shadowy area between the trees and smiled to himself. What a wonderful nightmare to torture the girl with – the death of her own brother. She was still screaming for somebody to get help and people were beginning to show up. Pitch walked away from the scene with an added spring in his step and hummed a tune under his breath. Now the boy couldn't interrupt his work.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Decision

_((A/N: I don't think Pitch quite realizes yet exactly what he's getting into. Poor thing. Thanks for the wonderful reception! This is already more popular than any of my other fics this month - hence my trying to get another chapter up pretty soon. I'm hoping the next one will be done sometime tomorrow. Enjoy~)) _

There was a strange feeling in the air in the days following Jack's death, and tonight – the night of the full moon – it was so strong that Pitch couldn't even focus on his duties of scaring children. He'd been on his way to torment little Emma – a task that had become almost too easy, but her fear was quite intense and rejuvenated him in ways he hadn't been used to for quite some time – when he was suddenly overcome with the strong urge to visit the lake that boy had drowned in only days ago. Rather than approach right away – the man on the moon was at his strongest on full moon nights and Pitch rather liked to avoid direct contact with him – he slunk about amongst the shadows of the trees and watched the moonbeams glint off the frozen surface of the lake. The hole in which Jack fell in the ice had frozen over after a blizzard hit the town a few hours after he fell in. They weren't able to recover his body in time. It was somewhere down there still and would likely remain there until the spring.

As Pitch watched though, something curious happened. Seemingly by itself, the ice coating on the lake appeared to melt in the spot where the moonlight was most concentrated. What was the man on the moon up to? Leaning against a tree trunk as he fiddled with his black sand and sent it swirling around his palm, Pitch decided to stick around to find out what was happening and see if he could thwart whatever plans the man on the moon had. It turned out he didn't need to wait long. As he watched the hole in the ice covered lake, a head bobbed above the surface and rose out of the water. His hair was as white as the fallen snow around him and his eyes were an icy blue-grey rather than the brown they were previously, but the kid was most certainly the one that died only a few days ago. Jack.

Darkness, that's all there was. Where on earth was he? The better question was – who was he? What on earth was he doing floating up from the depths of a deep lake? Surely that wasn't normal. The boy gasped in a deep breath once his head broke the surface of the water and the first thing he noticed once he caught his breath was the moon shining brightly on him. _Your name is Jack Frost_ were the words that appeared inside his head, and despite not knowing the origin for sure, he had the suspicion that it was the moon itself speaking to him. "Well if I have a name that must mean I matter! W-what am I supposed to do here? Where is here? Please just . . . send me a sign or something," he begged the moon, but it merely hung in the air – silent. It was as though it was mocking him. Why tell him his name but nothing else!? When he fell to his knees and placed his face in the palms of his hands, he felt a presence behind him. Jack jerked his head up and whirled around, grasping his staff in his hands. "Who are you!?"

Pitch's eyes traveled over the boy appraisingly. If the man on the moon wanted him, he must be important – especially to the Guardians he'd been trying to defeat for years. It seemed it was time to take advantage of the boy's vulnerability. "A friend," he answered simply.

Jack's eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion before he remembered he'd just asked the moon for a sign and immediately after this mysterious, dark figure appeared. Perhaps he needed to talk to him? It wasn't in Jack's nature to so easily believe people though. "Oh yeah? Who said I needed a friend?" He challenged the man. Pitch let out a loud laugh. He hadn't been expecting that answer. This kid sure had spunk.

"Did I ever say I was _yours?"_ He replied mysteriously. Oh that should make him fall into his hands. The boy would likely assume he meant he was friends with the moon, and then he was free to corrupt him without interference. Jack's eyes widened. This _had_ to be the moon's sign! He was meant to interact with whoever this man was. He made him feel a little uneasy and he seemed familiar – although he shouldn't considering Jack had only been alive for a few minutes now.

"Well . . . no. I guess you didn't . . . I'm Jack!" He greeted the man and stuck out his hand for a shake. Pitch glanced down at the offered hand for a few seconds before sticking out his as well and returning the shake. An odd feeling spread through each of them that made both of them widen their eyes in shock. Jack felt the darkness of the man combine with his cold and it felt . . . right? Pitch noted the same feeling, but it unnerved him slightly. He'd been alone for so long – why was this boy any different from all the others he'd used and abused throughout the years? The Tooth Fairy had been among his previous victims he'd tried turning to his side, but he'd come far too late and she had no intention of leaving horrible things under the children's pillows rather than coins. It was sad really.

"Hello, Jack," he greeted and smiled at the irony. Perhaps he should have said hello _again_ Jack. "You may call me Pitch," he continued and let his hand fall from the handshake that had lasted far too long as a mere greeting. When Pitch said his name, Jack's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Why was he so familiar? There was just something about him. Jack felt like he knew him from somewhere. He shook his head slightly to clear the thought from his mind and glanced up at the man that was staring at him curiously.

"A-are you here to help me or something, Pitch?" He asked curiously. Pitch merely turned and gestured for Jack to follow him. With a shrug, Jack picked up his staff and followed after him.

"In a way. You'll see," Pitch commented vaguely as he led Jack away from the lake and towards the town. He could feel the moon's disapproving gaze practically burning a hole in him. _You don't want this, Pitch. _He ground to a halt, causing Jack to stumble into him and complain. Pitch gained back his composure rather quickly, but the fact the man on the moon was speaking to him unnerved him. _Ha! Unnerved me? I'm the King of Nightmares – he holds no sway over me._ Pitch directed his thoughts towards the moon – he knew he'd hear him. _And when did you ever care about what I want?_ After this thought, he cut himself off and focused on the present surroundings. Jack was running and flying on ahead – apparently in that short span of time he realized he could, so Pitch dematerialized into shadows and drifted up and alongside Jack who yelped when he noticed.

"You can do amazing things too?" Jack asked in glee. He was utterly thrilled with his newfound abilities, but skidded to a stop when he discovered there were people still out and about. "Hello!" He greeted a woman, but she ignored him. He frowned slightly. _Well that was rude_ he thought in irritation and turned towards Pitch who was now reforming into his body again. Jack heard a bark and whipped around to see a boy chasing a dog. "Hey! I like your dog!" He yelled. The boy kept coming towards him. At this rate he was going to plow him down! Jack winced when it looked like he was going to get knocked over, but rather than falling, he felt the kid go right through him. "What? Am – am I a ghost?" He cried in dismay, but Pitch placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Of course not. They merely don't believe in you," when Jack looked confused, Pitch continued, "Jack – you are a spirit of sorts yes, but not in the way you think. You are a winter spirit. It seems you can control ice and cold – it's much like how I can control darkness, fear, and shadows. When the man on the moon brought you here – oh don't act so shocked, I'm just like you, of course I know who he is - he intended for me to teach you and bring your powers to their full potential. Tell me, Jack Frost, will you accept my guidance?" He asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. This was the moment that would determine which side Jack would choose, and he didn't even realize it. This was all a game to him for now. It was all exciting and new. He didn't realize that if he agreed to go with Pitch that it would set off a flurry of events that would change his life forever. Pitch was practically giddy. Cold and dark! They went together perfectly. There were so many ways him and Jack could cause destruction and terror. He finally would have somebody to fill his endless days with companionship rather than loneliness.

"I – I guess. I don't really have anywhere else to go . . . especially if nobody believes in me," he sighed in dejection before he noticed something; none of the few people that were still out seemed to notice Pitch either. "Wait – these people don't see you either. Do they not believe in you too?" How was it he could have so much in common with this man he'd known for so little time. Perhaps the moon came through for him after all. He had Pitch now to show him about his abilities and maybe he'd even help him figure out what he was before this. Surely people weren't just born this way. Maybe he'd been an entirely different person before.

"A rare few believe in me now; only a handful of children really. My life is a rather lonely one," Pitch replied sadly and hoped that this antic would work. Yes, he was lonely, but he was used to the solitude by now. It wasn't that bad – really.

"Well Pitch – I believe in you. It looks like your life just got a little less lonely," Jack replied with a large grin. "Where do you live anyways?" He probably lived in some fantastic castle or something.

"Come – I will show you," Pitch replied and was unable to hide a victorious grin. He'd finally done it. He'd taken something the man on the moon wanted beneath his very nose. That was a figure of speech of course. It looked as though Pitch had one more tool in his arsenal against the Guardians. It would be quite some time before he was powerful enough to face them, but by the time he was, he would have a powerful ally on his side that would be nearly as bad as himself. It was merely time to be patient now. Pitch had lived for centuries; he knew how to be patient. All would work in his favor eventually, and hopefully the boy would cooperate.


End file.
